This application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-346198 filed on Nov. 12, 2001, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner for automatically controlling an amount of air blown into a passenger compartment, which corrects an automatic control characteristic of the air blowing amount based on a manual operation of a passenger. More particularly, the present invention relates to a control method of a control system in the vehicle air conditioner.
2. Description of Related Art
In a vehicle air conditioner disclosed in JP-A-3-54015 or JP-A-7-25221, an air blowing amount corrected based on a manual operation of the passenger is learned, so that an automatic control characteristic of an air blowing amount is fitted to a passenger""s preference. In the vehicle air conditioner disclosed in JP-A-3-54015, when an air blowing amount is manually reduced from a large blowing amount area in an automatic control, a target blowing temperature TAO at which an air blowing amount is switched from the large blowing amount area to an intermediate blowing amount area, is learned. In the vehicle air conditioner disclosed in JP-A-7-25221, when the air blowing amount is manually changed from the large blowing amount area in the automatic control, the manually changed air blowing amount is learned.
However, in the vehicle air conditioner disclosed in JP-A-3-54015, the air blowing amount in the large blowing amount area of the automatic control cannot be changed, thereby not being satisfied to the passenger""s request for reducing the air blowing amount in the large blowing amount area. In the vehicle air conditioner disclosed in JP-A-7-25221, when the air blowing amount is manually reduced after the previous blowing amount is satisfied in an initial time of a cool down operation, the air blowing amount in the large blowing amount area is reduced in the automatic control. Therefore, the air blowing amount becomes deficient in the initial time of the next cool-down operation. On the other hand, when the air blowing amount is manually changed in a blowing amount control area except for the large blowing amount area, the manually-changed air blowing amount cannot be learned. Therefore, the air amount to be blown into a passenger compartment is not fitted to the passenger""s preference in the blowing amount control area except for the large blowing amount area.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle air conditioner which realizes comfortable control of an air blowing amount by correcting a blowing amount control characteristic in automatic control based on manual operation of a passenger. That is, the manual operation is learned in a control device so that the blowing amount control characteristic after the manual operation can be fitted to a passenger""s preference.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a control method of a control system, which changes correction of control characteristic of the air blowing amount by effectively learning manual operation.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a vehicle air conditioner, an automatic control characteristic for performing an automatic control of the air blowing amount is corrected when the air blowing amount is manually changed through an operation device. The control device includes determining means for determining whether the air blowing amount is in a first area larger than a predetermined amount or in a second area smaller than the predetermined amount. Further, the control device has a condition value for determining whether a passenger wants to reduce the air blowing amount in the first area or to change a switching point at which the air blowing amount is switched between the first area and the second area. In the vehicle air conditioner, the control device changes a correction of the automatic control characteristic in accordance with the condition value when the air blowing amount is manually reduced through the operation device when the determining means determines that the air blowing amount is in the first area. Therefore, the automatic control characteristic can be fitted to a passenger""s preference, thereby performing comfortable air amount control fitted to the passenger""s preference.
Preferably, the automatic control characteristic has a first control portion in the first area and a second control portion in the second area, the control device changes the correction of the automatic control characteristic to correct the first control portion when the condition value satisfies a predetermined condition in a relationship with a threshold value stored in the control device, and the control device changes the correction of the automatic control characteristic to correct the second control portion when the condition value does not satisfy the predetermined condition in the relationship with the threshold value. Further, the condition value can be at least one of an air temperature in the passenger compartment, a target blowing temperature of air to be blown into the passenger compartment, a passed time from a start of automatic control operation, an estimated value of a passenger""s thermal feeling, and a skin temperature of the passenger. Accordingly, the manual operation can be effectively learned so that the blowing amount control characteristic after the manual operation can be fitted to the passenger""s preference.
When the air blowing amount is increased by the operation device to be equal to or more than the predetermined amount in the first area from the second area, the control device corrects both the first control portion and the second control portion in the automatic control characteristic. Therefore, both the first control portion and the second control portion can be learned in accordance with the passenger""s preference.
More preferably, the second area includes a low blowing amount area, and an intermediate blowing amount area where the air blowing amount is between the low blowing amount area and the first area. In this case, when the control device corrects the second control portion, the control device corrects at least one of the switching point at which the air blowing amount is switched between the first area and the intermediate blowing amount area, a change ratio of the air blowing amount in the intermediate blowing amount area, and the air blowing amount in the low blowing amount area. Accordingly, even in the low blowing amount area, the passenger""s preference manual operation can be effectively learned.
On the other hand, in a control method of a control system for a vehicle air conditioner, it is determined whether the air blowing amount at a start time of manual change is in the first area when the air blowing amount is manually changed. Further, in learning of the control method, the air blowing amount in the first area is reduced when the temperature relative to the inside air temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature when the air blowing amount is manually reduced in the first area and a condition value is in a first state. Further, in the learning, the air blowing amount in the second area is reduced when the air blowing amount is manually reduced in the first area when the condition value is in a second state. Accordingly, the control method of the control system changes the correction of the control characteristic of the air blowing amount by effectively learning manual operation.